Single fathers with twice the risk of dying prematurely

Health effects for single fathers?

Most parents know that parenting can be complicated and exhausting. Education becomes even more difficult if only one parent is present. Researchers have now found out that single fathers also have a significantly increased risk of dying prematurely. For this reason, public health authorities should respond and better support those affected.

Researchers at the University of Toronto found in their study that single fathers have a significantly higher risk of premature death. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "The Lancet Public Health".

The risk was more than twice as high

Compared to single mothers and fathers in a relationship, single fathers are more than twice as likely to die prematurely. The findings of Canadian researchers could also apply to other wealthy nations with similar lone fathers, the experts explain.

Investigation involved nearly 40,500 subjects

Study author Dr. Maria Chiu from the University of Toronto and her colleagues oversaw nearly 40,500 people in Canada over a period of 11 years. The subjects also included 4,590 single mothers and 871 single fathers. Participants were around 40 years old at the beginning of the study. During the monitoring period nearly 700 subjects died.

These factors were also taken into account

Compared to fathers in a relationship or single mothers, the death rate among single fathers in the study was three times higher. Even taking into account the fact that single fathers were older, had higher rates of cancer and were generally more susceptible to heart disease, their mortality risk was still twice as high, the researchers report.

Are lifestyle and stress the cause?

Unhealthy lifestyles and stress are probably the cause, says dr. Chiu. Single fathers tend to have a healthier lifestyle, which could include poor nutrition, physical inactivity and excessive drinking. Single mothers were more likely to live alone, and a larger proportion of them raised their child outside of a relationship, the researchers said.

Single fathers are less likely to seek help

These results show that single fathers may be a particularly vulnerable group. In addition, a 2016 study found that single fathers - even when aware that they are physically and mentally in poor shape - are less likely to seek professional help than women.

Single parents are on the rise

There are more and more single parents in the last decades. In the United States, for example, the proportion of children who had single mothers tripled from eight percent in 1960 to 23 percent in 2016, according to a US census. The proportion of single fathers increased in the same period from one to four percent.

Where in Europe are most single parents??

In Europe, Denmark ranks at the top of lone households. 30 percent of households were single parents there. Of these, 23 percent are women and 7 percent are men. In France, the percentages were 19 percent for women and 4 percent for men. In Sweden, 14 percent in women and 5 percent in men. In Germany, 17 percent in women and 2 percent in men. In Canada, 16 percent in women and three percent in men.

In low-income countries, the rates are much higher

However, single-parent households in many low-income countries are much higher, especially in Africa. For example, nearly 40 percent of children in South Africa have only their mother as their sole parent, and four percent have only one father. Other countries with a high proportion of single parents are Mozambique (36 percent), the Dominican Republic (35 percent), Liberia (31 percent) and Kenya (30 percent), according to a survey from 2016. Of the 2.3 billion children 14 percent of the world (320 million) live in a single household.

These two benefits have single fathers

However, in at least two categories, single fathers have a slight advantage over single mothers. Researchers at the University of Illinois found that mothers alone earn about two-thirds of what their male counterparts earn. And another study from South Korea showed that single mothers became three times more likely to become addicted to alcohol. (As)